Recently, a Spanish-language letter from the Ã¢â‚¬Å“California Coalition for Immigration ReformÃ¢â‚¬Â was received by Latino voters in Orange County, warning them that only United States citizens are permitted to vote, that voting by non-citizens is a deportable offense, and that immigration restriction organizations have access to a federal computer database of properly registered voters. Worse, when translated, it is clear that the letter advises that all Ã¢â‚¬Å“immigrantsÃ¢â‚¬Â cannot vote, whether they be naturalized citizens or not.

Today, to help combat the disenfranchising effects of this letter, we are formally requesting the Orange County RegistrarÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Office send out a new letter, written in both Spanish and English, to all Democrats with Latino surnames in Orange County. We ask that this letter be sent to households by Wednesday, October 25. We ask that the letter do the following:

Explain in plain words who is eligible to vote.

Reaffirm that voting is an important part of the democratic process.

Encourage everyone eligible to vote.

Describe in specific detail the letter sent out previously containing false information.

Provide the name, phone number, and email address for a point person in your office who will handle all questions regarding these matters.

Moreover, if the evidence suggests that a Republican candidate or candidates sent out this letter, we call on the Republican Central Committee and Republican Party leadership to exercise their responsibility and insist that any candidate or candidates involved withdraw from their race immediately.

We are going to be conducting a training session this Saturday to educate attorneys and other interested individuals who want to work to monitor polling places and protect the vote.

Finally, we also have reason to believe that there are those who desire to further suppress voter turnout this November 7. We will have many trained poll observers throughout Orange County, including many attorneys, dedicated to eliminating voter intimidation or suppression. We expect a full and fair vote and look forward to working with the RegistrarÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Office and the Republican Party to achieve this goal.